Prepare for College

How to Write a Great College Application Essay

Getting ready for college is a peculiar process that requires much efforts. Students improve their knowledge day by day and take specific tests on different academic disciplines. They come to the particular colleges, fill in the application forms and prepare all necessary documents. The last thing they do before entering colleges is writing an essay.

A college application essay is a great way to show your potential and personal features. This piece of writing can either impress the admission officers or lower your chances to be enrolled, so its significance should not be underestimated. To write an original essay, one needs to spend much time researching the topic, reading credible information sources, and forming his/her own opinion on the subject. Below, you will find a list with helpful tips to create an excellent college application essay.

Steps to Write a College Essay

1. Read the guidelines

The first thing you do when you begin writing a college admission essay is reading the instructions carefully. Every educational institution sets specific guidelines for essays and every applicant has to follow them. If you get familiar with the instructions, you may start your work.

The guidelines for an application essay are significant because the admission officer will evaluate your skills depending on whether you followed all the rules.

2. Make a convincing introduction.

The introduction for your application essay should be strong enough to grab the attention of the reader. Start your paper with a catchy sentence, question, anecdote or an entertaining story. The introduction should be concise and informative to convey the major idea of your essay.

3. Be yourself.

Imagine that a college application essay is your advertisement that presents your qualities and skills. Try to be honest when preparing an essay – do not paraphrase the well-known concepts or beliefs. Write your own views on the issue, suggest ideas and solutions, give some examples from your own experience. The admission officers would appreciate your openness and originality.

4. Don’t use clichés.

Before working on the essay, all applicants search samples of these papers to get some inspiration. Although it sometimes may be useful, the students can take the ideas from samples and as a result use clichés. If you want to make an impression with your essay, try to be creative to distinguish yourself from other people. The admission officers receive thousands of essays, so it is advisable to make a unique piece of writing.

5. Give examples to explain your ideas.

Adding examples to any kind of essay is certainly important to support the argument. When you write an application essay, you state your attitude to particular things or problem. To explain your ideas, it is recommended to provide examples from your own life. That can make your paper more readable and interesting for the audience.

6. Stay organized while writing.

Try being organized every minute you spend on your application essay. Reread every sentence or paragraph to determine their importance and meaning, remove unnecessary words, and check the text for mistakes. Moreover, form a suitable structure that contains an introduction, the main body, and conclusion.

7. Ask for proofreading.

After you finish your essay, don’t forget to proofread it in order to avoid any grammatical or lexical mistakes. But if you want to be 100% sure your piece of writing is perfect, ask your tutor, a friend or parent to read it. They will probably notice some excessive information that you need to get rid of and make sure your paper is right.